Peter Som Blends
for Burlap & Barrel
Gather ‘round, flavor fanatics—your spice rack is about to get a serious upgrade. I’ve teamed up with Burlap & Barrel to create three incredible spice blends that are equal parts genius and delicious. And, better yet, they are all based on my cookbook, Family Style! Whether you’re a roast-chicken loyalist, a die-hard baker or someone who believes every dish deserves a sprinkle of magic, these blends have you covered.
From Bird’s the Word (aka the MVP of roast chicken seasoning) to The (Not So) Sweet blend (think pumpkin spice, but with attitude), and Feelin’ Snacky (you’ll be sprinkling this on literally everything), these blends are here to save your meals from the dreaded "meh."
Want to know how to use them? I’ve got you covered with simple tips that’ll take your cooking from good to wow, who made this? Keep reading to discover how to put these powerhouse spices to work in your kitchen. Spoiler alert: you're about to be everyone's favorite cook.
Bird’s the Word
The perfect seasoning for—you guessed it—chicken (if you want to make my Mom’s classic Five Spice Chicken—use this blend for the ultimate level-up) but works wonders with all meats, fish and DEFINITELY roasted vegetables. The inspiration was my Mom’s five spice salt—but I bumped up the flavor factor with ground black lime for that extra depth of flavor.
Looking for more options? Try folding into your meatloaf mix, add a dash into your vinaigrette or toss with cauliflower or broccoli before roasting!
TRY THESE SWAPS in some of my FAVORITE RECIPES
This recipe is inspired by my Grandma’s low and slow clay pot braises and is the perfect winter dish for any night of the week. Tender fall off the bone meat enrobed in a rich, deep sauce with hint of citrus.
Growing up, we ate this almost every week. This was essentially a make-ahead main dish. The chicken is prepared in the morning before work and put in the fridge. During that time the salt does all the work to tenderize the meat. While in the oven a vegetable is made and dinner, seemingly in a snap, is served.
This dish is so easy yet impressive it could just as easily be made on a Tuesday evening or hang with the turkey and stuffing on the Thanksgiving table. By far the easiest way to prepare sweet potatoes—no peeling!
Not (so) Sweet
This blend is perfect for baking—think of it as pumpkin spice’s sassier relative—warm notes of cinnamon, fennel and cloves with sugar and vanilla make it the ideal candidae to fold into pies, quick breads, muffins and puddings.
Looking for more options? Use in pumpkin or apple pie, or fold into banana batter! It’s also perfect to infuse into syrup for pancakes and french toast!
TRY THESE SWAPS in some of my FAVORITE RECIPES
This single-layer anytime cake is perfumed with vanilla and cardamom, while the super easy glaze is kissed with maple and five spice.
These twists combine puff pastry with sugar, lots of warm spices like Chinese Five Spice and the zing of orange zest. Perfect with a cup of hot cocoa or with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with warm chocolate sauce.
This tart is all about balance— the fork-tender poached pears, the nutty almond crust and that decadent buttery zingy frangipane.
Feelin’ Snacky
Well this is the one that you’ll wanna keep right on the counter—a flavor-bomb mix of elements from za’atar and furkikake—it’s the perfect thing to sprinkle on salads, pastas, roasted vegetable—really anything and I mean ANYTHING.
TRY THESE SWAPS in some of my FAVORITE RECIPES
The complex heat of kimchi, the funky back notes of fish sauce and the saltiness of pecorino form an umami-mouthful of goodness, while the heavy cream and butter add richness of course—but, also balance out those other bolder ingredients.
This recipe calls for cranking the oven up to 450 and giving the carrots some serious color and then showering them with a crunchy spicy oat crumble. Some salty feta rounds out the dish. Best thing of all? It comes together around 30 minutes.
Prosciutto and melon is an Italian classic where the marriage of buttery salty prosciutto and the honeyed beauty of ripe melon combine for that quintessential summery bite.
